May 26, 2009 6:23 pm US/Eastern
Former CIA Official Warns Against LNG Terminal
SPARROWS POINT, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Opponents of the proposed LNG terminal in Sparrows Point have an ally fresh from the CIA, and he is warning the explosive power of a liquefied natural gas operation may be too good a target for terrorists to pass up.
CBS
Opponents of the proposed LNG terminal in Sparrows Point have an ally fresh from the CIA, and he is warning the explosive power of a liquefied natural gas operation may be too good a target for terrorists to pass up.
Alex DeMetrick has details on the briefing.
According to the industry, the safety record for liquefied natural gas terminals like the one in southern Maryland is long and strong. But for Charles Faddis, the retired head of CIA's Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism Unit, security is the safety issue.
Specifically if the target is the proposed LNG Terminal at Sparrows Point. On his own, Faddis submitted an affidavit to federal regulators, warning an urban operation creates two targets: the plant itself and the enormous tankers bringing in the frozen gas.
"If the vessel is taken here, we'd probably have about an hour before it's in a position to incinerate," he said.
Faddis points to the carnage caused by a handful of gunmen last year in India or the attack on the USS Cole--nothing high-tech but lethal just the same.
Before a small gathering of opponents to the plant, Faddis says his review of application documents found serious weaknesses.
But the LNG industry says otherwise. While frozen, the gas is not explosive and won't burn. The tankers move in the bay under state and federal armed escorts, which would extend to Baltimore if a plant is built.
But Faddis worries it's not enough.
"If you're not really prepared, you're just going to die," he said.
The proposed plant has received initial federal approval to be constructed. Opponents hope to reverse that, with the change of presidential administrations.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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